The 2012 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills is a beautiful effort that spent 16 months in 33% new French oak prior to being bottled un-fined and unfiltered. Showing notions of cherry pits, framboise, mint and spring flowers, it flows onto the palate with a rich, seamless texture, outstanding purity of fruit and a nicely focused, layered finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. Completely destemmed, it shows the prettier side the variety, and will shine for 5-7 years. I was blown away by these new Pinot Noir releases from Foxen, and they’re up near the top of the vintage. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same with regards to the Rhone blends, and these had superficial, mid-weight profiles geared for near-term drinking. As to the Bordeaux blends, these come from the eastern most AVA in Santa Barbara County and are labeled under the Foxen 7200 label. Tel. (805) 937-4251; www.foxenvineyard.com